Walking alongside…

Yesterday, m and I had a wonderful morning at the park. I packed her in her stroller, and we headed for home, ready for some lunch.

In the street in front of our place, we saw a college girl trying to hitchhike, with no success. She was visibly disappointed that cars were not stopping for her, and had tears on her cheeks. She said, “Where I come from, people stop and give people rides.” She had fallen jumping off the bus, and was late for her astronomy exam, which was taking place three blocks up our steep street. Her knee was hurt, and she wasn’t sure she would make it. I couldn’t offer her a ride, so instead I told her that we would walk with her to provide encouragement. She seemed to brighten and we headed slowly up the hill. Little m happily obliged, loudly announcing, “BIRD” as we walked along.

From our walk, I learned about this girl – where she is from, what classes she doesn’t like, what she wants to do after graduation, and a little about her family. We finally made it to the top of the hill, and she said, “Thanks for walking with me. I guess I made it after all!” We waved and parted ways.

The encounter left me smiling – I couldn’t offer her the ride she needed, nor anything to help with her pain. And yet, there’s something to walking alongside someone.